Air-gun



(No Model.)

M. F, AI GUN.

N0.461,224. Patented 001;. 13, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERRITT F. STANLY, OF NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN.

AIR-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,224, dated October13, 1891.

Application filed November 6,1890. Serial No. 370,582- (No model.)

TO'ZZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MERRITT F. STANLY, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Northville, in the county ofVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Air-Guns,of which zine and the means for delivering theprojectile from the magazine to the breech of the true barrel; further,in the peculiar construction of the mechanism whereby the loading of thegun is simultaneously accomplished with the compressing of the spring,and, further, in the peculiar arrangement, construction, and combinationof the various parts, all as more'fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gun,showing the springcompressing lever in its forward position. Fig. 2 is avertical central longitudinal section of the gun, showing the springcompressed. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective View of thespring-compressing lever. Fig. at is an enlarged section through themagazine and true barrel, showing the means of feeding the projectile.Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the butt of the false barrel detached.

A is the stock, which has the fore-arm B, in which is secured the falsebarrel 0, preferably of metal. Centrally of this false barrel is formeda block D, having an aperture D, formed ther'ethrough from front torear.

E is the true barrel, the breech of which registers with the forward endof the aperture D, and is guided by suitable bearings formed in theblock D, while the forward end of the true barrel is guided in a blockE, formed at the forwardend of the false barrel;

F is the magazine, which may preferably consist of a tube stationarilysecured at its ends in the blocks D and F. and extending parallel withthe true barrel directly above the same. Its forward end is closed inany suitable manner. I have shown a screw G,

screw-threaded therein, while the rear end is provided on its lower sidewith an aperture G, directly above the rear of the true barrel.

The true barrel is cut away on its lower side at H, this cut-awayportion extending over a yielding bearing H, having vertical adjustmentby means of the set-screw I, this bearing being directly in line'withthe aperture G in the magazine-chamber.

I is a lug or screw secured on the under side of the true barrel,passing through a slot I" in the under side of the false barrel to theoutside thereof, by means of which the true barrel may be horizontallyreciprocated.

The magazine chamber being filled with shot, as shown, the operator canmove forward the true barrel by means of the screw I, thereby, openingthe aperture G, which, when the barrel is in its normal position, is

closed by the rearward extension J on the true barrel. As soon as theaperture is open the shot in the rear of the magazine-chamber are freeto fall by gravity (the gun being held in the proper position) upon theyielding bearing H, when the operator can Withdraw the true barrel tohave a firm seat upon the block. This motion will separate the lower.shot from those above it and compress the projectile tightly upon theyielding seat directly in front of the aperture D and in the breech ofthe true barrel. closes tightly all connection between the true barreland the magazine-chamber and prevents the escape of any of thecompressed air through such chamber. By forming a tight seat against theblock D all escape of the compressed air around the true barrel is alsoprevented, so that the full force of the com pressed air is directedagainst the projectile, which will be held for an instant or until airhas accumulated considerable force to move it from its compressedposition upon the yielding bearing H.

I have thus far described the action and construction of the magazineand true barrel This same motion.

rear of the block D, in which is slidingly secured the piston K andpiston-rod K. The rear end of the piston-rod is provided with the crosshead or bar K adapted to engage with the detent on the trigger L.

M is the spring sleeved upon the pistonrod K ,bearin g with its forwardend against the piston K and at its rear end against the slidingabutment N, which is provided on its upper face with the slot N, inwhich the piston-rod K engages, and with bearing-faces N on its loweredge resting against the inner face of the barr'ehbeing guided in itsforward movement by the extension N ,which passes.

through a slot 0 in the under side of the barrel. This slot is widenedat its forward end at O to engage theabutment therethrough, its normalposition being in the rear thereof, so that except by compressing thespring forwardly it cannot be disengaged; but when the spring iscompressed slightly forward of its normal position the abutment may betaken out through the aperture 0'. To the extension N of the abutment Nis pivotally secured the spring-compressing lever P,which is fulcrumedupon the swinging link P',Which link in turn is pivoted at P to theunder side of the barrel. The leverin its rearward extension is providedwith the curved portion Q, forming the trigger-guard, and with the endportion Q, adapted to be secured in its rearward position by thespring-catch R, engaging over the rear end thereof.

To compress the spring, the parts being in the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2, the operator disengaging the spring-catch R moves thelever P to the forward position shown in Fig. 1, in which position thelink carrying the fulcrum of the lever is lowered, so that the leverextends at substantially right angles to the spring In this rearwardmovement the cross-head K engages with the detent on the trigger, which.locks it in that position. The operator now draws the spring backwardto the position shown in Fig. 2, which carries forward the slidingabutment N, compressing the spring against the piston K until the leverhas reached the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is locked inposition, not only by the spring-catch R, butautomatically by arrangingthe fulcrum of the lever at a higher point than the pivot '1. It will beseen that as the lever is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to theposition shown in Fig. 2, as the compression of the spring increases theapplication of the power is greater at all times.

In order to connect the loading mechanism with the spring-compressingmechanism to make the two operations simultaneous, I employ theconnecting-rod U, pivotally connected to the link P at one end and atthe other end connected to the screw I, by means of which the truebarrel is reciprocated, so arranged that as the lever is thrown forwardto engage the cross-head with the detent on the trigger the barrel willbe moved to its forward position, and as the lever is moved to theposition shown in Fig. 2 the barrel will be moved backward for thepurpose of cutting off the shot and loading the barrel in the mannerpreviously described.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a spring air-gun, the combination,with a false barrel having a magazine therein, of a reciprocating truebarrel, a passage in the magazine at a point back of the true barrel,and a slide actuated by the movementof the true barrel to open and closethe passage, substantially as described.

2. In an air-gun, the combination, with the magazine-chamber, the truebarrel, and a connecting-passage between the two at the breech of thetrue barrel, of an elastic bearing below the connecting-passage, andmeans for reciprocating the barrel across said passage, substantiallyasdescribed.

3. In an'air-gun, the combination, with a" false barrel and cylinder, ofa spring-actuated piston in the cylinder, a reciprocating true barrel inthe .forward end of the false barrel, a magazine above the true barrelhaving a passage at its inner end over which the true barrel passes, andlevers for simultaneously drawing the piston and true barrel back,substantially as described.

at. In an air-gun, the combination, with the air-compressing cylinderand false barrel, of a magazine and true barrel having av passageconnection between theirinn'er ends, a springpropelled piston in thecylinder, a shut-off for the passage between the barrel and magazine,and a hand-piece for simultaneously moving the shut-ofi and piston,substantially as described.

5. In a spring airgun, the combination, with a cylinder andspring-compressing lever, of a spring-actuated piston in the cylinder, acrosshead on the rear end of the piston, a trigger for engaging thecross-head, and anabutment IIO on the spring-compressing leverextendinginto the cylinder between the cross-head and spring forengaging the same, substantially as described.

6. In a spring air-gun, the combination, with the cylinder, of aspring-actuated piston in the cylinder, a cross-head on the rear end ofthe piston, a trigger for engaging the cross-head, a sliding abutmententering the cylinder between the cross-head and spring, and means forreciprocating the abutment to carry the cross-head back and to compressthe spring, substantially as described.

7. In a spring air-gun, the combination, with the barrel, the piston,and its actuatin g-sprin g, I

of the sliding abutment N, having the forward-extending arm N,projecting beneath the barrel and guided therein, the lever P,

pivotally connected with said arm, the link P, in which said lever isfulerumed, and a latch R upon the stock, adapted to hold said lever inits rearward position, substantially as described.

9. In a spring air-gun, the combination, with a barrel, the piston, andits actuating-sprin g, of spring-compressin g mechanism consisting ofthe sliding block N, the lever P, fulcrumed to the link P, the rod U,pivotally connected with said link at its rear end, the true barrel E,slidingly secured in the forward end of the false barrel, the block I,to Which-the connecting-rod U is secured at its forward end,

Land the slot 1, the parts being arranged to operate substantially asand for the purpose described.

10. In an air-gun, the combination, with a false barrel,of a magazinehaving a passage through its rear end, a reciprocating shutoit below thepassage through which the projectile passes, and an elastic bearingbelow the passage, substantially as described. v

11. In an air-gun, the combination, with the magazine having a passagein its rear end, of a reciprocating true barrel having an extension onits end acting as a slide to open and close the passage, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 0 presence of twowitnesses.

MERRITT F. STANLY.

Witnesses:

JAMES WHITTEMORE, N. L. LINDOP.

